Find out how popular the first name Greenlee has been for the last 24 years (from 2001 to 2024) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Greenlee by gender

Based on the last 24 years of data, Greenlee is exclusively a female name.

For the most recent data in 2024, there were 11 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Greenlee.

The history of the first name Greenlee

The name Greenlee is an English given name with origins dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a green meadow or field.

During the medieval period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Greneley" or "Grenlegh". It was not an extremely common name, but it did appear in various records and documents from England during the 13th to 15th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Greenlee can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record from 1273 which mentions a person named "Willelmus de Greneleye" in Oxfordshire, England. Another early reference is in the Cambridgeshire Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which lists a "Johannes Greneley".

In the 15th century, there are records of a Greenlee family residing in Lancashire, England. A notable member was Robert Greenlee (c. 1420 - 1492), who served as a magistrate and landowner in the town of Clitheroe.

Fast forward to the 17th century, and we find Samuel Greenlee (1609 - 1690), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He became a prominent figure in the colony and helped establish the town of Newton.

Another historical figure with the name was Jonathan Greenlee (1718 - 1788), an American soldier and frontiersman who fought in the French and Indian War and later settled in what is now West Virginia.

In more recent centuries, famous people named Greenlee include Ralph Greenlee (1923 - 1989), an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader, and Marcia Greenlee (born 1953), an American actress known for her roles in several popular television shows.

While not an extremely widespread name, Greenlee has a long and interesting history spanning multiple centuries and cultures, originating as a descriptive term for someone living near a green meadow in medieval England.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Greenlee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Greenlee, please contact us.

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